University of Edinburgh (Reid School of Music)

The University of Edinburgh's Reid School of Music, part of Edinburgh College of Art, holds Britain's oldest university Chair of Music outside Oxford and Cambridge, endowed in 1839 by a bequest from General John Reid. Its BSc (Hons) Acoustics and Music Technology is taught from the Lauriston campus, combining physics and mathematics with music technology across sound recording, audio signal processing, architectural acoustics and creative music technology.

The four-year degree adds audio programming, audio machine learning and sound design in years 2 and 3, ending in a year-long individual project, and uses six production studios in stereo and 5.1 configurations. Postgraduate routes include an MSc in the same subject plus a separate MSc Sound Design aimed at students who already have a music-technology or professional sound background.

Scottish students pay £1,820/yr, paid by SAAS for eligible residents; rest-of-UK students pay £9,790/yr for 2026 entry, with international fees set on a course-by-course basis. Entry needs SQA Highers or A-Levels with a strong maths/physics component alongside musical ability; the university's own entry-requirements tool sets exact grades by qualification and widening-access status.